Leaks, but low water pressure

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jcosborn06

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Last week the water pressure for one of my upstairs bathtubs (but not the shower) suddenly dropped. Several days later the same tub's faucet began to leak. About 48 hrs later, the other upstairs tub began leaking and has lost pressure. Both showers seem to be unaffected. The downstairs sinks and toilet appear unaffected. I welcome any input about what exactly is going on here!

Also , it may not be relevant, but both are Moen products, and both are single-handled. The hot water pressure may be slightly lower than the cold water pressure.
 
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If they are Positemp Moen( turns on by rotating handle from off to cold to hot) valves they have a pressure balance spool inside the cartridge. sometimes they get stuck and need to be replaced. If you have a drop in pressure on either the hot or cold side the spool slides to balance the pressure. You may have flow problem from the water heater. Open a sink faucet to hot and then a second sink and see if you get a significant drop in volume.
 
I followed your instructions and opened one sink all the way on (to hot), then did the same with a second sink (both in the same room as one of the affected bathtubs) while the first was still running. I did not see any loss in water pressure in either sink.

Also, I think that I was mistaken in my initial assessment that there was no loss of pressure at the showerheads.

It seems like replacing the cartridges is the simplest fix, I just hope that it's the right one!
 

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